| CD REVIEW Ecthirion |
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Band: Ecthirion The three-piece formation Ecthirion, hailing from the U.K., debuts with Apocalyptic Visions on the nice upcoming label Soundmass and I need to admit: what a nice first effort! The rather obscure melodic hymns contain elements from a wide range of musical styles, not only Metal-related yet also dwelling within spheres of symphonic and Opera Music. The orchestral tracks by the three musicians (Gabriel Neale-guitars, bass guitar, programming, production, music and lyrics; Simon Treasure-acoustic, electric and bass guitar, music; and Dominic Leach-drums) come with varying vocals, meaning: death grunts, blackish screams, harmony chants and operatic voices, by guest vocalist Eugen Dodenhoeft (from Far Beyond-fame, who also mixed and mastered this recording), Azahel Frost (Frost Like Ashes, Possession) and Josh Edwards. The Baroque-ish and epic songs are very bombastic and mainly leaded by keyboard-driven melodies, and it does give the whole a slightly gothic atmosphere. However, Apocalyptic Visions can’t be considered a Gothic Metal band fully at all, because the sound and compositions are pretty unique, not ever failing by introducing modern clichés or fake elements, and the specific musical and lyrical approach certainly is not easy to define. The injection of (neo-symphonic) Classical music on the one hand, and some pounding Death / Black / Heavy Metal-oriented melodies at the other, makes this mini-debut dwell within spheres of rather unknown and unusual yet beautiful dimensions of timeless and border-crossing Symphonic Metal spheres. And even though it might seem very ‘clean’ and ‘sweet’, Apocalyptic Visions comes with an ominous and nightly sound and that’s just fine, isn’t it? 78/100 Ivan Tibos. |